Hall of concern

As the Assembly session begins it is bound to see some hard exchange on political matters, mostly rhetorical, may be substantial in cases. That is in the nature of the democratic politics as it has grown over decades in the sub continent. In this era where even the routine act of breathing is also televised on social media, the proceedings in any house of people’s representatives is bound to reach every individual.

May be that is why some of the representatives want to raise voice over issues in ways that catch more eyes, because each one them knows that ‘his set of people’ will eventually be watching. That way it makes it a typical case of playing to the gallery, howsoever small that gallery may be. In the case of J&K assembly things are no different. The representatives know that the light is on them and they are occupying a stage. Now the kind of political background this assembly has contributes to a certain political atmosphere within the assembly. The talk of restoration of statehood, the earlier constitutional arrangement, the changes that were effected during last many years, the duality of governance – all this is bound to occupy the centre stage of rhetorical exchange.

Though all the representatives, cutting across party lines, know that whatever has happened in the proceeding years is way beyond this Assembly to undo, they would still cling to contrary expressions. That is after all what politics is. This show will go on as long as it has any degree of political utility. But besides this political of attention grabbing, there are some issues that are very real, and that the people’s representatives can contribute to addressing. It would be expected of the public representatives to also take up such issues and bring light to where the solution to the problems can be found.

The ruling party, with a thumping majority that it secured in the last assembly elections, needs to spare reasonable amount of energy to work out plans to solve the problems people are grappling with over these years. There are economic hardships, there is youth frustration, there are problems of drug addiction, there are anxieties in the families and dogs in the streets, someone needs to take up these matters seriously. Those are the real concerns and deserve to be articulated in this Assembly session.